Franklyn McClur Said Tennessee Lieutenant Governor DMed Him

The 20-year-old said that in 2020, around when McNally followed him on Instagram, he was regularly sharing moody videos but wasn’t posting photos of himself wearing makeup and crop tops like he does now. In one post from October 2020, McClur shared a video of himself crying, saying that he was “so tired.” McNally commented on the video, saying, “Don’t give up. You’re life will change for the better.”

In another post from around that time, McClur wrote, “I try to catch my breath but I break down and cry. Not doing good, I’m just doing fine,” with a video of himself singing. McNally again shared a message of encouragement. “Finn, just to be true to yourself,” McNally wrote, “but if you feel overwhelmed with anxiety or can not sleep. I can help you get in touch with someone who can work with you in dealing with that.”

“I was more conservative in the way I went about my life,” McClur said, but still “openly a Christian” at the time. 

“And so I wasn’t always posting things without my shirt,” he said. “So at that time, you could have maybe thought I was gay or something, but I wasn’t ever posting [like I do now].”

During a TV interview that aired Friday, McNally explained his comments on McClur’s posts, saying that he tries to “encourage people with posts and try to help them if I can.”

McClur, however, told BuzzFeed News that he thinks McNally’s heart and fire emojis mean he actually liked the photos.

“So for what reason he liked it?” McClur said. “Who knows? We can ask him that. And I’m sure he would just say he was supportive, which if that’s what he says, that’s what I would go with if I was a person from the outside looking in.”

McNally is still following McClur, who said the lieutenant governor messaged him on Thursday and thanked him for “being kind to everyone.”